Topic: Just rode a Shadow

[Chris Schneiter]

I just rode a friends '96 Shadow Ace 1100....after only riding my CB750 for 4 years, it was really wierd! We compared notes..the other day, he came back from riding mine complaining about its lack of rake...he said (and I kind of agree) that that's why I've always felt that it seems a little squirrely on wet or grooved pavement...he said because of that he had a hard time turning it...while the Shadow felt stable, I had a hard time turning it...I'm kind of used to steering with my knees and butt...really diving into turns...It just seemed like it wanted to go in a straight line!
It wasn't until I rode the Shadow though, that I realized how noisy my bike is! He has a huge windsheild (which I don't really like), but the engine from riding position is really quiet....the torque of the engine is awesome..upon acceleration, I could feel the whole bike twist...I found myself downshifting like I do on my bike, and riding at higher RPM than he does..with an engine like that, when you let off the gas, the speed seems to be sucked down, unlike our sedate little four poppers..I'm sure I could get used to it, especially for long rides in a straight line...the seating is really comfortable for me....I could actually touch the ground with both feet!
Any comments? Don't worry, I'm not giving up my CB!

[Chris Schneiter]

Oh, and it vibrated a lot...really jiggles your wiggly bits!

[Vatch]

Yeah, modern big cruisers are a very different ride.  My other bike is 1500 Vulcan Drifter.  I love having both bikes because they ride so differently.  The torque on the Drifter is great and addicting.  It requires much less shifting due to the wide power band.  Stearing is a lot different. It took me a while to get the tank to dip into turns and will never bob and weave like my CB.  It requires much more leaning of the body and just doesn't seem to be as fluid.  The EFI makes it my choice when the mercury drops (the engine doesn't mind the cold), and it's my choice for long rides (>250 miles in a day).  Love the CB including maintaining it.  And there's nothing like the whine of a 27 years old 4 at high rpms.  Diversity in the stable is good. 

[ProTeal55]

My buddy Steve, a.k.a RIFF has a newer VTX1800 which I took for a ride late last week.
I am not a fan of that bike what-so-ever. Feels like a tank trying to turn it, doesn't have any throttle response, etc..

Not my bike so my opinion doesn't matter, just my 4cents...

[Chris Schneiter]

Yeah...steering...with the CB, you just think about turning, relax, and it seems to turn itself...kind of and early version of how I imagine a crotch Rocket would feel...with the shadow, it seemed I had to muscle it around corners, which would make sense of my friends feeling that he was oversteering on the CB..

[Ceej]

Well ive never ridden on a cruiser, but i saw some mention of sport bikes and ive ridden a few of those.  Rode my friends cbr600 around for a day, it took some getting used to but i got to enjoy it after a while.  Still felt a little bit unstable and jerky at times (maybe i just wasnt good at riding it).  But when i got back on my 750, it felt like it weighed 1000 pounds.  Turning definately felt heavier, but, not worse, just different.

[tsflstb]

I like my little 400, but sometimes I miss having TORQUE.  There are a few bikes out there with the big cruiser V-twins that can actually handle.  I'm waiting for Yamaha to send this one to the states.  Has anyone 'cross the pond ridden an MT-01?


About the closest thing we can get here is the Buell.  I hear they're getting a little more reliable since Harley took over.  Never ridden one, but seems like people either love 'em or hate 'em.